UK sees the importance of Huawei’s substantial investment

Thomas Tindemans, CEO of Hill + Knowlton Strategies, a leading public affairs consultancy firm based in Brussels, said that under the current Eurozone debt crisis, the European Union and its member states are generally very welcoming investment from China. Governments hope very much that the Chinese investment would help to increase employment opportunities and to boost the economy. But certain industrial associations and competitors to Chinese enterprises do not think the same way, as they only want to make sure that their business interest is not diminished. It was once reported by the Financial Times that Marconi, which was a UK competitor of Huawei eight years ago, lobbied the UK officials very fiercely in order to solicit their support for British enterprises.

Tindemans equally said that Europe indeed benefit considerably from Chinese investment. Using the UK Telecom as an example, the products from Huawei are with good quality and affordable price, it’s the UK consumers who are the ultimate beneficiary. It is also evident that thanks to the Chinese investment there are more job opportunities which are being created in Europe. On the other hand, it is also true that there are doubts and opposition that come from some EU industrial associations and competitors who believe that Chinese companies have close links with the government, and some of the EU policies do not sufficiently protect European companies. In the meantime, the issue of “national security” which the US government has been using to block Chinese investment in the US has provided excuse for some member states’ parliaments and industrial associations to against Chinese investment. For this, Chinese investors should increase its communication with EU governments and national parliaments, and do business according to the local rules and regulations.